The Great Australian Wildlife Search relies on passionate volunteers venturing out to designated testing sites to collect water samples for eDNA analysis. Volunteers who contribute to collecting important data like this are known as ‘citizen scientists’, we’d love for you to consider becoming one.
We invite people to use our reservation map to secure a convenient water sampling location. Once your site has been secured, you will be emailed details of how to conduct the test and when your Test Kit will be posted out to you.
Once your Test Kit has been received, water sampling can take place anytime between 16 October – 27 November 2023
It really is as simple as choosing a date within the testing window to visit your selected site, conducting the test by collecting two water samples and sending it back to the lab for analysis.
For a nice recap of what’s involved, take a look at our field video featuring Josh Griffiths, Senior Wildlife Ecologist, EnviroDNA:
What’s the benefit of collecting water samples across the Murray–Darling Basin?
Hundreds of wildlife species live in the Murray–Darling Basin and it is up to our governments, landholders and communities to protect and preserve their habitat.
We’d be thrilled if you could offer a helping hand.
To do this efficiently and effectively we must first gather a baseline for what species exist and where, starting with our rivers and surrounding waterways. Collecting water samples as part of the Great Australian Wildlife Search allows for this baseline data to be gathered and built upon.
By collecting two samples at a chosen testing site, you will also be collecting the trace DNA of any aquatic or wildlife species present in that water sample.
Collecting and analysing the data, and then re-testing the areas over time will allow for detailed health-checks of our waterways, which will inform future conservation efforts.
The Great Australian Wildlife Search and the associated eDNA technology is a gamechanger for conservation across Australia, and indeed the world, by enabling regions of greatest ecological significance to be identified and protected. But this can’t happen without the important participation of local communities and conservation groups.
Invitations are now open to reserve a testing site and participate in this exciting data collection phase.
Learn more about the environmental significance of the Murray–Darling Basin and its inhabitants.
Visit the For Citizen Scientists section for detailed information about what to do at your reserved site.